What’s that construction off of W. 11th Avenue and Willow Creek Road?

Project: A new Wilco Farm Store being built on W. 11th Avenue near the East West Tea Company building.

Location: 4818 W. 11th Ave., Eugene, Oregon

A new location for Wilco Farm Store is being built on W. 11th Avenue next to the East West Tea Company building near the intersection of W. 11th Avenue and Willow Creek Road.

Wilco Farm Store is a farmer-owned cooperative with origins dating back to 1936 as a part of the Santiam Farmers Cooperative in Stayton, Oregon. In 1967, four cooperatives in the Willamette Valley merged and took on the name Wilco, short for Willamette Consolidated.

For nearly 90 years, Wilco Farm Store has been providing a local cooperative mercantile for residents across the Willamette Valley in need of farm, yard, stock and pet supplies. Wilco also provides fuels such as heating oil, diesel, gasoline and propane.

Wilco’s cooperative is made up of more than 2,500 agricultural growers throughout the Pacific Northwest. The cooperative model allows Wilco to utilize the input and needs of members to power business decisions.

The 6.7-acre plot of land was purchased in January of 2023 for $875,000 about a mile from the current Diess Feed & Seed co-op location at 5590 W. 11th Ave. in Eugene. Wilco assumed ownership of the Diess Feed & Seed store in July.

Permits available for the property indicate the construction of a farm and garden store and an outdoor storage space. A 2,146-square-foot hayshed will occupy some of the property. Fifty-six trees were removed to clear the land for construction.

The new Wilco location is planning to open in April 2024, expanding the offerings of the Diess Feed & Seed store, which will close and move normal operations to the new space once opened. This upgrade in space is necessary to offer Wilco’s usual offerings of departments and services.

Those additions include work wear, boots, a full garden center, a True Value Hardware and paint department, expanded offerings of pet and animal feeds, bulk availability of bark dust and soils, a wire yard for fencing, posts and other outdoor needs, an expanded pet department and a full-service pet grooming shop, according to Jake Wilson, Wilco’s vice president of marketing and E-commerce.

The new site will also offer a drive-thru load-out for customers with bulk items and more office and breakroom space for staff to utilize, allowing staff numbers to expand from fewer than 10 members to more than 30.

Wilson said the Wilco locations in Springfield and Corvallis already see customers visit them from Eugene, so the new location aims to provide a closer home base for Wilco co-op members and customers who don’t want to leave town to meet their needs.

“We are most excited to join the Eugene community with our full lineup of products and services.  We were honored to have had the opportunity to purchase and now run the Diess Feed & Seed store. This location has allowed us to learn about the community and hear from customers firsthand to better serve the Eugene area when the new location opens,” Wilson said.

“At the new store, keep an eye out for the murals on the walls as we’ll be sure to incorporate Diess into the new location. … Locations like Diess Feed are the cornerstone to how we’ve become the company we are today," Wilson added.

Building Size: 37,888 square feet.

Contractor: Dickerhoof Construction LLC.

Sources: City of Eugene Planning and Development Department Permit Records, Lane County Property Records, Wilco Farm Store.

Is there something under construction that you’d like to learn more about? Contact growth and development reporter Hannarose McGuinness at 541-844-9859 or hmcguinness@registerguard.com

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: What's that? New co-op shopping option coming to Eugene